Lori GilderLori Gilder is an award-winning Architectural Interior Designer known for her clean, architectural lines and comfortable California Modern style.2015-02-05T19:29:26Zhttp://lorigilder.com/feed/atom/WordPressBill Indurskyhttp://designlifenetwork.comhttp://lorigilder.com/?p=47542014-07-25T05:05:48Z2014-07-25T05:01:32Z

When thinking about design projects to tackle in your home, hallways can often be overlooked. Unlike the foyer, hallways are typically thought of as transition spaces, but the reality is…hallways are rooms too! The amount of foot traffic that passes through these corridors can rival 405 Freeway at times. Aside from the occasional gallery of family photos, most hallways remain under-stated under-designed and under-whelming. But the reality is these passageways have a loads of potential for creative expression and functionality and should be treated with the same love and attention as the other rooms in your home.

Images Via: Decorpad and Pinterest

With a few key design elements you can turn a neglected hallway into a great looking space that you enjoy everyday during your “rush hour” traffic.

Add a Punch of Color:

Many hallways can seem small, cramped and dark. This can be a great place to go bold with some pops of color. There are several ways to achieve this, depending on your comfort level. From colorful artwork adorning the walls, to simply painting out the doors or walls in your favorite shades, the hallway can benefit from a burst of color. Consider introducing a colorful floor runner, painted furniture pieces or accent with colorful accessories. A small console table with a bouquet of flowers, a colorful stack of vintage suitcases, or colorful frames for family photos can all add a touch of boldness to liven up your hallway.

Image Via: Elle Decor

Image Via: Pinterest

Showcase Your Collectables:

I know a lot of us have some unusual objets which we’ve collected from our travels over the years. The hallway is an ideal space to showcase those unique finds as they will instantly add to the personalization of your home and create points of interest or focal points. Whether it’s a quirky find from an antique shop or objects from exotic ports, find the perfect spot to highlight them down the hallway.

Image Via: Rue Magazine

Extra Storage:

No matter the home, extra storage space is always a welcome feature and the hallway can be a great place to find it. Narrow shelves can be recessed into the walls to hold books for households of avid readers or to showcase anything from trophies to treasures. Hallways near entrances can have unique coat hooks and wall-mounted mail sorters to help keep the home organized. You can also take advantage of the space between studs in your wall and create small built-in cabinets that can store anything from rolled-up linens to seasonal decorations.

Image Via: Pinterest

Integration:

Transforming your hallway from a walkway to a utilitarian and functional area is a great idea if you have the space. Console tables are an incredibly versatile addition to any hallway, and with the addition of a small chair can easily make a cute and functional desk area. If you have a wide enough hallway or landing off your staircase, add a window seat along with bookshelves for a quiet spot to rest, reflect and read.

Image Via Houzz

There are so many creative ways to spruce up all types of hallways…so don’t let yours go to waste!

Call 310-788-0990 or contact me for additional design tips for your home or for help with transforming your space.

As we continue the tour of a mid-century modern style, it’s time to step into the room that continues to be the heart and soul of the home – the kitchen! Over the years the kitchen has evolved into a multi-purpose space. There are times it will serve as a four star restaurant, gourmet deli, dining room, office, entertainment room, living room – and all around social hub!

In more modern environments the open kitchen layout and design integrates well into the overall architecture of the home particularly when orienting the kitchen toward the open living space. Below is the new kitchen floor plan of our #PalmSprings project. By removing existing walls and re-orienting the workspace toward the expansive living area and spectacular mountain view, natural light will instantly flood the living ares of the home.

Open Spaces, Natural Tones, Clean Lines – The open floor plan allows you to interact with your guests while you are in entertainment mode, making it a much more social, approachable and inclusive experience. Deep architectural elements complimented by light natural tones and clean and simple lines lend a distinctive modern charm to the kitchen.

Image via Mid Century Home

Let the Wood Take Center Stage – Natural wood tones and multiple species are common in this design style. Showcasing the beauty of these woods through the cabinetry and seating is an ideal place to highlight their natural beauty.

Image via Pinterest

Built-in Banquette and Modern Chairs – These days, a kitchen is not complete without a comfy seating area to enjoy the food and the company of family and friends. Regardless of the size, a sleek built-in banquette would work beautifully within a mid-century modern inspired kitchen. Introduce a pop of color on the tabletop and sprinkle a few Arne Jacobsen chairs around and you have the most stylish breakfast nook for you and homework center for the kids!

Image Via Pinterest

Use the Right Lighting – Good lighting is essential to a well-functioning kitchen design no matter what style, and selecting a favorite mid century modern pendant for that space can really pack a punch! Whether you’re hanging pendants over your kitchen island or a single fixture over dining table, find your favorite piece. Does the sparkle of a sputnik-like chandelier give you the look you’re after or is it the avocado PH pendant light? Either way a stylized modern fixture like these will instantly speak the mid century modern lingo.

Image via Apartment Therapy

I would love to help you design your modern kitchen and full home remodel. Contact me at Interior Makeovers, Inc. by calling 310-788-0990.

As we continue traveling through the history of interior design, I’d like to look at one historic design style that can be as dramatic, beautiful, and subtle or focused as you desire: Egyptian design.

Historically, interior and exterior Egyptian architecture utilized baked mud bricks and stones because wood was rare. You are familiar with Egyptian hieroglyphic-embossed columns, but did you know the top of the column is called a “capital?” Not only does did they serve as weight-bearing pieces, capitals were usually bell shaped, similar to lotus flowers of the Nile River. You’ll often see decorative leaf patterns near the top of the column and beneath the capital.

Egyptian design style has resurfaced throughout the centuries, and was so popular, an “Egyptian Revival” period was identified from 1850 through the 1870s and again from 1924-1940s in the U.S. Here are just a few ideas to help you capture the essence of Egypt in your home:

Egyptian decor was minimalist, favoring open spaces and lack of clutter. While the arrangements may be subdued, Egyptian interior colors are far from understated and include turquoise, brilliant red, gold, shades of green, and black accents.

Patterns can be geometric, include the sun or stars, cobras, cows, feathers, lotus flowers, Hathor, scarabs, or sphinxes.

Sconces would be a choice lighting treatment.

Ancient Egyptian temples were decorated with sculptured wall reliefs depicting many symbols and stories, carved and painted. Consider a bas- or wall-relief accessory for your room.

Egyptian decorative pieces are easy and fun to find! I found some interesting curios/antiques priced from $6-$600 on eBay.

Call or contact me with your ideas about Egyptian design in your home or office. Later, as we explore Design Through Time, we’ll decide that when in Rome (or when decorating your home), we might want to do as the Romans do…

My work in Palm Springs continues, and so does my tour of the possibilities of a mid-century modern home. In this post, I’d like to talk about how you can incorporate mid-century modern design into your living room.

The living room is typically the social hub of the home for your family and friends, particularly when it’s also acting as the family room, den or TV room. For these reasons, your mid-century modern living room must epitomize both comfort and style.

Selecting the ideal furniture: Low-slung chairs and couches in neutral colors keep the room feeling open and spacious while providing plenty of seating. Incorporating a mixture of natural woods with steel and glass accents in your coffee table, end tables, lighting fixtures, and any shelves or cabinetry is a great way to preserve the mid-century modern mixture of natural elements with industrial influences. Tapered legs are a common feature of the furniture of this design style, so look for pieces that incorporate this design.

Bring the Outdoors In:Floor to ceiling windows allow light to stream into the living room and connect the indoor space to the beauty of the outdoors. Live plants are also a common feature of mid-century modern rooms, so having some live houseplants in decorative pots featuring a strong and colorful pattern makes great accent pieces for tabletops or room corners.

Color and Design: Mid-Century modern is all about simplicity and functionality, so choose a signature piece of art or furniture you want to display and don’t detract from its visual impact with extraneous clutter or distracting color. Neutral tones should comprise the majority of the room. A graphic rug, interesting piece of artwork, brightly colored chair, or unusual feature like a suspended fireplace will add color and interest to the space without making feel busy and cluttered.

For more ideas and tips for designing your home in mid-century modern style, contact me online at Interior Makeovers, Inc.or give me a call at 310-788-0990 for a design consultation.

As we continue working on the Palm Springs project, I want to delve a little more deeply into the dominant style of the region. Mid-century modern design truly is a favorite architectural style of mine. The simplicity and authenticity of modern architectural design elements integrated with a site’s natural surroundings provides me with a sense of peace.

The first room of a mid-century modern home we should talk about is the foyer. As the first room visitors see and feel as they step through the front door, this space sets the entire tone for your home. Here are a few ideas for incorporating mid-century modern design into your own home:

Retro lighting: Mid-century modern table lamps feature curvy bases and tall shades. Vintage stores, flea markets, even garage sales, are a great place to find retro pieces to bring your mid-century modern design to life. Whether you choose beautiful blown glass with metal accents, solid bold hues that draw the eye, or a retro chandelier, mid-century modern lighting can not only draw attention to your design pieces, but is a design piece in and of itself. Utilize this both in the chandelier and lamps placed on a console table by the front door.

Image via: Pinterest

Bold Colors: Warm, natural colors are common in mid-century modern design, often mixed with brighter colors that recall the 60’s like tangerine and avocado. Paint your walls with the calming neutrals and bring in bold bursts of color in a floor runner or retro-inspired artwork.

Image via: Pinterest

Textures and Graphic Patterns: If you’re not sure about the bold colors, consider a neutral palette that brings out use of textures, angles, and graphic patterns either in wall coverings or flooring. This is where you can have some fun and create some excitement when welcoming guests into your home.

Image via: Habitually Chic

For more information on incorporating mid-century modern design elements into your own home, contact me at Interior Makeovers, Inc. by calling 310-788-0990.

I am currently working on a re-design and renovation project in Palm Springs, California…and I’m loving it! I particularly love the opportunity to work in the primary design style of Palm Springs: Desert Modernism. A variant of a favorite design style, mid-century modernism, Desert Modernism is extremely prevalent in much of Southern California. I think I love the simple elegance of the lifestyle most, where the exterior landscape becomes not just the backdrop, but the art of the home.

Like other modern styles, Desert Modernism makes use of straight lines and glass, which makes the space look bright, open, and clean. Desert Modern style is further influenced by the particular challenges and benefits of living in a desert climate. It’s not surprising in weather this warm that desert living is pretty informal, and the open interiors reflect this. You won’t find much chintz or cluttered decor in this style; the rooms are designed to allow you to breathe and move around. Too many details would feel suffocating in the hot desert climate.

This style isn’t barren, however. Desert Modernism draws inspiration from the beauty of the surrounding desert, often featuring large windows and indoor/outdoor spaces to connect the home to its landscape. Colors are often bright and airy neutrals, adding to the open atmosphere. The limited color palette adds to the informal elegance that characterizes Desert Modernism.

Let me help you embrace the informal beauty of Desert Modernism in your own home. Contact me at Interior Makeovers, Inc. at 310-788-0990.

Modern wallpaper comes in such a wide variety of designs, colors, and even textures that there is a look and style for everyone. I am a big fan of elegant treatments and interesting textures. Whether you are treating all four walls of your living room, or using remnant pieces for pops of color and texture ,there are endless ways you can create gorgeous effects with just a little bit of wallpaper in your home.

Step Up To The Challenge

I’ve seen plenty of creative painted staircases, so why not use wallpaper? A subtle design lends an elegant effect to stair risers, but you can also take the opportunity to let the bolder side of your personality shine through with a bright wallpaper pattern.

Behind The Scenes

Use leftover wallpaper pieces to accent shelves and even small table spaces. You can line inside table legs with strips of wallpaper. Clear gloss sprayed on top of wallpaper gives it a shiny patina and helps protect the surface.

Framing

Choose a wallpaper design you absolutely love and frame it as large-scale artwork. Using three large strips of wallpaper framed with molding or a large picture frame will create balance and cover most of one wall. There is plenty of wallpaper available that looks like artwork, so this is an easy look to pull off.

Lights, Action!

Cover your lampshade with patterned wallpaper using a spray mount. It’s such an easy way to create the look of custom lighting, and you can tie it in with other wallpapered elements in the room.

Dress Your Drawers

What an eye-pleasing treat to open a plain, old drawer and see a burst of color and design. Use wallpaper to line the bottom sections of kitchen, bath or office drawers.

Remember, your space should reflect your unique style and personality, and incorporating wallpaper into your design plan can help. For additional interior design trends, tips and ideas for your home or office, contact us at Interior Makeovers, Inc. by calling 310-788-0990.

As a part of Brizo’s Blogger19 Reunion tour of St. Jude’s facilities, we were taken on a tour of the Target House. This facility, opened in 1999 as a generous gift from Target, provides long-term housing for St. Jude patients and their families when treatments last anywhere from three months to three years. The goal was to make a private safe haven for families to live and feel at home during the on going stresses of long-term treatment.

The Target House is is flooded with natural light and bright colors, making it a very cheerful place from the moment you walk through the doors. While it is designed to be a sterile and easy-to-clean environment, it achieves this without the chemical and cold feeling of a hospital. The floors are hardwood and low-nap carpets rather than cold tile, giving the place a warm and homey feeling.

Crown molding, wainscoting, rich wood accents, and spaces and furnishings designed and donated by celebrities make it very easy to forget you’re in a hospital environment.

The Sean White Great Room – 70’s Rock & Roll Inspired Room

Families that stay at the Target House can enjoy private apartment suites with everything they need for day-to-day living and access to free laundry facilities. In addition to giving families their private spaces, the designers of the Target House also understood the need for a supportive community and included plenty of common spaces for the enjoyment of the residents. There is a library full of books and movies, a music room, an arts and crafts room, and plenty of playing areas. There is also a communal dining room and kitchen available if families have days where they don’t want to use the kitchens provided in their private apartments.

The Tiger Woods Library

Brad Paisley Room

Guitar Light Fixture – Brilliant!

The final result is not just a beautiful design, but a healing one for both the patient and their family. The Target House helps to turn the terrible and frightening task of battling pediatric cancer into a more comfortable stay for the entire family. It embodies the true spirit and meaning of “home” by creating an environment which is beautiful, safe and comfortable!

On day 1 of the #Blogger19 Reunion, we were taken on a tour of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This hospital is a beautifully designed, state of the art facility that is surprisingly cheerful and full of smiles- not what you’d expect from any hospital, much less one that treats such serious illnesses in children…and this is only one aspect of St. Jude that makes this hospital an exceptional facility on every level!

Morning breakfast and Introduction to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Founder Danny Thomas

Hospitals are often associated with white, sterile environments, austere design, and expensive bills, but St. Jude breaks these assumptions. No one leaves St. Jude with an astronomical bill- or a bill of any kind. Treatment, whether outpatient or inpatient, and all other expenses associated with treatment are covered entirely by private and corporate donations.

As you might expect, this adds up to a rather hefty operating cost for the hospital- $1.8 million per day. While a portion of these costs are covered by government grants, the vast majority of it comes from donations from companies like Brizo and individuals like you and me. In addition, because St. Jude is a research hospital, they have been instrumental in the astronomical increase in childhood cancer survival rates- now 80-94% instead of the 20% from the hospital’s inception in 1962.

The Danny Thomas Research Center displays flags honoring contributing researchers from around the world.

In addition to the difference the hospital makes in its daily operation, St. Jude has also broken boundaries in its design. They place significant value on the input and comfort of the patients and their families. Multiple design themes are most important throughout this facility. The second floor themes range from the zoo to fairytale and travel…while the fourth floor is all recreational themed – which include swimming, track and hot air ballooning. Waiting rooms are designed to be private and quiet, inpatient suites are sound-proofed, and the entire facility is colorfully and very thoughtfully decorated with their patients in mind.

Patient artwork is also on display expressing their courage and determination through the personal journeys and challenges they face.

At the end of our tour, we were able to spend some time with these beautiful children working on some fun art activities…and here is a doll house that my little friend decorated.

Touring St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was beyond impressive. This is an exceptional and highly specialized cancer facility with an infrastructure that rivals a small city! To help this groundbreaking hospital continue their important work, make a donation today!